A Florida alligator named after Darth Vader has been a revelation online after it was discovered that he only responds to the Star Wars villain’s theme song. Darth Gator, a resident rescue at Everglades Holiday Park, loves “The Imperial March” and, fittingly enough, emerges to the sound of it playing.
“Darth Gator hearing check. It’s pretty amazing that he responds to his own theme song, and comes straight to Paul [Bedard],” the sanctuary said in a video post of the alligator marching out of the gator pit.
Animal Planet’s Gator Boys-fame Paul Bedard is an alligator wrangler at the park, located west of Fort Lauderdale. The expert is known for his work as a rescuer and airboat guide in the Everglades National Park.
However, Bedard’s celebrity was dwarfed by the fame Darth Gator achieved from a video of their interaction, during which he played the Star Wars music.
"It's ‘The Imperial March’. [Let’s] see if Darth Vader reacts to his music again,” the alligator guide says in the clip.
Even though Bedard thinks the song isn’t too loud, it was just within Darth’s earshot, and he came a-marching!
“It doesn't take much,” he says.
The other alligators all stay on in the pit; only Darth comes when the song is put on.
“He’s even marching in perfect timing!,”a commenter wrote
“That’s so Florida.” another said.
Later in the video, Bedard asks Darth to keep some distance before feeding him warily.
this gator named Darth Vader only comes when his theme song is played 😭 pic.twitter.com/ZGhH4C5kmQ
— ryan 🤿 (@scubaryan_) November 8, 2024
The alligator’s eyes appear to glisten with joy or satisfaction.
Florida has the second-largest American alligator population among US states, at 1.25 million. Only Louisiana has more, with an estimated two-million gators within its boundaries.
Bedard and his team work to rescue alligators, especially “nuisance” gators that are large, known to be aggressive and killed by authorities for public safety.